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Aveline de Grandpre
Aveline de Grandpre (20 June 1747 – 13 November 1830) was a French-African woman who fought to free the slaves of New Orleans from France and Spain, also siding with the United States during the American Revolutionary War. Biography Early life Aveline de Grandpre was born on 20 June 1747 in New Orleans, French Louisiana to Philippe de Grandpre and his slave wife Jeanne. In 1752, his father left her mother to marry Madeleine de L'Isle as his business began to suffer, as she was the daughter of one of his investors and could bring him money. Aveline was free due to her mixed ancestry, and she was educated by Madeleine while staying at the Grandpre mansion with her real mother. In 1757, Jeanne disappeared while Aveline was playfully chasing a chicken, and Aveline had many nightmares about her mother's disappearance despite Madeleine's attempts at being a caring stepmother. On 16 January 1765 she had a nightmare of losing her mother and also fighting off slave masters, and Madeleine sat at her bedside, saying that even stepmothers worried about when their daughters had nightmares. When Madeleine left, Aveline decided that the night had better uses than sleep, so she decided to head to a pigeon coop in the yard. A friend named Gerald Blanc sent her a letter warning her that slaves were disappearing from a plantation nearby, and he told her that she could wear her slave persona and infiltrate the plantation. ]]While she was in public, she noticed two French guards that were alerted to her due to her dress as a member of the Assassin Order, and she beat down both of them. A squad of French troops under Felix Duval arrived to subdue her, but she took them all down with her bare hands, killing Duval. She then changed into the slave persona and tore down some wanted posters before hopping into a hay wagon headed to the plantation. She infiltrated the plantation by carrying a crate and appearing to be a slave, and she spoke with a slave about the disappearances. He said that his aunt and sister Therese disappeared alongside a few others, so Aveline investigated the barn and found Therese. She was kidnapped by the master's son, and the master found them and called for two guards. Aveline took a machete from one of them and killed all three men, and she told Therese that she would take her to safety. She took her back to the mansion, and she convinced Madeleine to help her. She bought traveling clothes for the slave, helping her in leaving. When she returned to the mansion, Madeleine informed her that she helped her friend escape after her father left the table (having finished his lunch), and she told Aveline that if she had any more "womanly problems", she could see her. They realized that they shared similar views on slavery, and the bond grew stronger between them. She learned that Gerald Blanc might have work for her, so she decided to visit her old friend. Category:1747 births Category:French noblewomen Category:French Category:Noblewomen Category:Catholics Category:Louisianans Category:French-Americans Category:African-Americans Category:Hashshashin Category:Louisiana Creoles Category:1830 deaths Category:French liberals Category:Liberals Category:People from New Orleans Category:People from Louisiana